189 nomination papers submitted for nine NA by-elections

As many as 162 candidates, including independent contestants, on Wednesday submitted their nomination papers to the Election Commission of Pakistan for by-polls on Karachi’s nine National Assembly seats scheduled for March 16.

The total number of candidates who have submitted the nomination papers is 189. Prominent political leaders who filed nomination papers on Wednesday, which was the last date for submitting the papers, include Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Senior Deputy Conveners Mustafa Kamal and Dr Farooq Sattar, Sindh Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Ali Haider Zaidi and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Shehla Raza.

According to the statistics issued by the ECP, a total of 24 candidates submitted nomination papers for NA-241, NA-247 and NA-252 and 19 for NA-242, NA-244, and NA-250. Likewise, 20 candidates filed nomination papers for NA-256, and 23 for NA-254. A total of 17 candidates filed nomination papers for NA-243. These seats have fallen vacant after the National Assembly speaker accepted resignations of the PTI MNAs.

In the 2018 general elections, Faheem Khan of the PTI had won NA-241 Korangi-III by securing by 26,706 votes while the MQM-P’s Muhammad Moin Aamer Pirzada was the runner up with 23,873 votes.

Saif Ur Rehman of the PTI had won NA-242 East-I by securing 27,333 votes. In this constituency, PPP candidate Muhammad Iqbal was the runner-up with 11,823 votes.

PTI Chairman Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi had won NA-243 East-II by securing 91,358 votes in the 2018 general elections. He defeated the MQM-P’s Syed Ali Raza Abdi who managed to secure 24,082 votes. However, the PTI chairman later vacated the seat and in the following by-election on October 14, 2018, Muhammad Alamgir Khan of the PTI won the seat with 37,035 votes defeating the MQM-P’s Aamir Wali Uddin Chishti who polled 15,434 votes.

Sindh PTI President Ali Haider Zaidi was elected from NA-244 East-III by securing 69,475 votes while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate Miftah Ismail was the runner-up with 31,247 votes.

In the 2018 general elections, the PTI’s Dr Arif Alvi was elected MNA from NA-247 South-II after polling 91,020 votes and the runner-up was Syed Zaman Ali Jaffery of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan who bagged 24,680 votes.

However, Alvi tendered his resignation after elected to the office of the president. A by-poll was held in NA-247 Karachi on October 21, 2018, in which the PTI retained the seat with its candidate Aftab Hussain Siddique winning after securing 32,456 votes. The MQM-P’s Sadiq Iftikhar secured 14,026 votes against Siddiqui.

Attaullah of the PTI had won NA-250 West-III by securing 36,049 votes while the runner-up was Fayyaz Qaimkhani of the MQM-P who bagged 29,086 votes. Likewise, Aftab Jehangir of the PTI had won NA-252 West-V by securing 21,065 votes while the runner-up was Dr Abdul Qadir Khanzada of the MQM-P who bagged 17,858 votes.

Muhammad Aslam Khan of the PTI was elected the MNA from NA-254 Central-II with 75,702 votes while the runner-up was Sheikh Salahuddin who polled 48,813 votes.

Muhammad Najeeb Haroon of the PTI had won NA-256 Central-IV with 89850 votes while Amir Wali Uddin Chishti of the MQM-P was the runner-up with 45,575 votes.

The PTI had won a total of 14 National Assembly seats from Karachi in the last general elections. Later, its MNA Faisal Vawda vacated his NA-249 West-II after he was elected as the senator. The by-poll was won by PPP’s Abdul Qadir Mandokhel.

Another seat of the PTI, NA-237 Malir-II was snatched by the PPP in a recent by-election. PPP’s Abdul Hakim Baloch defeated the PTI chairman. Along with NA-237, the PTI chairman had also contested NA-239 Korangi-I in the recent by-polls. He won the seat.

Abdul Shakoor Shad, PTI MNA from NA-246 South-I, had approached judiciary against approval of his resignation and his resignation was not accepted.

After the demise of PTI MNA Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain, a by-poll was held in NA-245 East-IV, in which PTI retained the seat with its leader Mahmood Moulvi winning it. He is yet to take oath.

According to the ECP, the preliminary list of candidates will be released on February 9 and the documents will be scrutinised on February 13. Appeals against the approved and rejected nomination papers will be filed by February 16 and decisions will be made by February 20, while the revised list of candidates will be released on February 21.